1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gloss applicator for an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a print machine, a plotter, and a multi-functional apparatus having a plurality of these functions. After a non-fused image is formed on a recording medium (hereinafter “sheet” or “paper”) using image-forming powder particles (hereinafter “toner”) and then the non-fused image is fused on the recording medium, the gloss applicator is used to enhance glossiness of the image.
2. Description of the Background Art
Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimile machines, printers, or printing machines reproduce a copied image or recorded image by fusing a non-fused image on a recording sheet by applying heat to the non-fused image using various types of sheets as the recording media. As for full-color images in the form of photographs or computer graphics in particular, uniform image glossiness and high quality is increasingly demanded.
Thus, for example, JP-2004-325934-A discloses a method of adjusting glossiness of the image when output. Specifically, after conducting temporary fusing of the toner image on a recording medium, the recording medium is transported to an image glossiness adjustment unit disposed downstream from a fusing unit. The recording medium bearing the toner image is then contacted and pressed against an outer face of a flat member such as an endless belt, and transported for a given distance before separating the recording medium therefrom. With such process, the condition of the surface of the outer face of the flat member can affect the toner image to adjust an image condition, and then the adjusted image is output, in which a toner-image fused sheet, transported on the extended belt, is cooled using a cooling fin and/or a cooling fan disposed inboard and outboard of the extended belt, wherein an image-formed face of the sheet contacts the extended belt.
Similarly, JP-2004-258537-A and JP-2006-030248-A disclose methods of controlling a temperature at a face of the sheet on which the toner image is to be fused so as to adjust the glossiness of the output image.
Although it may be preferable to adjust the glossiness of the image depending on the type of sheet and/or image, the apparatus of JP-2004-325934-A cools all sheets the same way without adjustment for type of sheet and/or image. Further, the apparatuses of JP-2004-258537-A and JP-2006-030248-A adjust image glossiness based on the temperature at the fusing face of the sheet. However, it takes time to set a temperature effective for image forming at the speed of the oncoming recording media, which lengthens the waiting time to implement such temperature control.